Dylan McDorman was getting ready to head to his job at Cavender’s in Wichita Falls late last week when a phone call changed his plans for the next year.
North Texas wide receivers coach Nick Quartaro was on the line and wanted to know if McDorman would be willing to join the Mean Green this fall.
The question was one the former Wichita Falls Rider defensive tackle didn’t have to think about twice before telling Quartaro and UNT head coach Dan McCarney that he would be happy to start his college career earlier than planned.
McDorman was among three players who committed to sign with UNT in its 2012 recruiting class and later agreed to put off enrolling at the school until January, a practice known as grayshirting.
UNT’s coaches changed course and asked McDorman to enroll in the summer when another scholarship became available for this fall.
“I was hoping that it would happen,” McDorman said of receiving a late invitation to join the team. “It could have gone either way. I’m happy it happened the way it did.”
McDorman will report to UNT on July 5.
UNT was holding on to the last scholarship for its incoming class in the hope that former Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) quarterback Brock Berglund would commit to play for the Mean Green.
Berglund found out this month that NCAA rules would prohibit him from accepting a scholarship at a Division I school this fall because of his academic record dating back to his time at Kansas.
When Berglund discovered that he was two credits short of the transfer requirement and decided to enroll at Scottsdale (Ariz.) Community College, UNT had another scholarship available and awarded it to McDorman.
Corsicana wide receiver Christian Hines and Tyler Chapel Hill running back Andrew Tucker are the other two players UNT is grayshirting.
The addition of McDorman should give UNT additional depth along its defensive line.
All three players listed on UNT’s depth chart at the end of last season — Ryan Boutwell, Tevinn Cantly and Richard Abbe — will return this fall. That trio joined converted defensive end Alexander Lincoln on the Mean Green’s post-spring depth chart at defensive tackle.
McDorman was a two-time All-District 4-4A first-team selection, and at 6-3 and 295 pounds is already big enough to handle the rigors of playing in college.
Tyler Chapel Hill standout Sir Calvin Wallace and Arlington Martin product Mustafa Haboul are the two other defensive tackles UNT signed in its 2012 class.
UNT ranked sixth among the nine teams in the Sun Belt Conference last season in rushing defense with an average of 163.5 yards allowed a game. Brandon Akpunku, a senior defensive end who completed his career, was the only UNT player who finished among the top 20 in the Sun Belt in tackles for loss.
McDorman had a plan laid out he felt would allow him to continue to develop over the next few months while waiting to enroll at UNT.
“I was planning on working and working out,” McDorman said. “I was getting ready to go in the spring and was going to take some classes at a local college.”
Those plans changed in a hurry over the last few days.
Now McDorman is focused on helping the Mean Green this season.
“I have kept in shape and continued to work out,” McDorman said. “I am hoping that I can help right away.”
BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com .
